I am beginning to train my horses for jumping. He is a 16.2 hand Paint. He has a lot of strength. I want tips that will help me make his trot better(its bouncy), to be better collected and typical English things. He is 8 years old and he is fabulous on speed and when he try’s has a great trot. Also he knows lots of western things. Also tips on getting him to be better on the direct reigning than neck reigning.
get a trainer to walk you through the process of teaching a horse how to jump- maybe start some,easy, cavaletti work.
a bouncy trot isn’t necessarily a bad thing (make sure his topline is loose and relaxed, if he’s still bouncy- that’s just him)
want to work on collection- talk to a dressage trainer- to do it right is complicated
I’m not sure what you mean by ‘better’… more responsive? use it more often and help him to turn by guiding with your upper body (head turned where you want to go, swiveling your upper body), hips (turning your hips to direct him), seat bones (more weight on inside seat bone), and legs (more pressure from outside leg, outside can also be slipped back to help turn)
best of luck!!! and hope that was helpful
a bouncy gait is great for jumping, it’s a sign that they have the pop to get over a fence.
when i’m teaching my horses to jump i like to start very small on tiny cross poles, and trot the horse over them, i don’t ask them to jump, i don’t tell them when to take off because the one time i forget, or get it wrong, we could have a serious accident.
i was told by a trainer i had years ago (who was an international eventer) that the approach was up to me, but the jump was the horses business. and that stuck with me,
once he figures out what the jump lark is about, then you can gradually increase the height.
try cantering him over small fences.
you’ll find that once he gets it he will start looking for the fences. dont’ worry if he kncks them down, it’s a learning process, but he might freak out a bit, so put them back down small.
also, i do not like placing poles before a fence. i think they are very very dangerous. about 10 years ago i had a bad accident when my horse stepped on a placing pole. it moved, he flipped over and landed onto of me. i came away from the accident with two broken vertabrae and a healthy dislike of placing poles.
besides, the horses don’t need them. they serve no purpose other than to help the rider count strides.
It is about confidence, but more about skill. Awhile ago i felt like i wasn’t getting anywhere in my jumping, but i didn’t realize that i had to get good at much more then just jumping. Such as how i post, canter, 2-point, muscle in my legs, knowledge and more.
It is not a bad question. I think it is a great question. Ask your trainer what you have to do to jump higher. She/He should have a good answer.
Jumping tips:
1. Practice your 2-point position. It works to help your jumping. Practice for about 5-10 mins every time you ride. When you trot, and canter. This will also help your heels a lot.
2. Read about horses and jumping. (i bet you do) Learn how many strides it takes between jumps and other stuff so when your teacher asks you, you will know.
3. Practice jumping the jumps with out the horse. Set up jumps in your yard, house or if you have an arena. In the house use brooms and pillows and boxes. Jump over them and try to go in 2-point over the jump. It is fun and really works to help you jump on horses.
Hope this helps!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
kick his balls whenever you reach the bars…….
Look up clinton anderson controlling your horse’s speed on youtube.
His training methods are very useful.
My pony’s trot was awful when I got him, but with work and time it’s gotten considerably better. Do lots of circles, serpentines, figure 8s, patturs, turns, etc, and practice extended and collected trots and jogs. Canter circles, work on simple and flying changes, etc. It’ll all help him strenthen his hindquarters and balance better.
To start him jumping get 4-6 small barrels or 3-4 large barrels (the big ones used for barrel racing) and lay them on their sides like you would for a 12" jump, but make an opening in the middle. Start him trotting in a circle around you and make him find the hole. After he’s done it a few times and got it figured out, move the hole. Keep doing this until he’s no longer mentally engaged by it. Then start to shrink the hole and make him really work for it. Eventually it’ll be small enough he won’t want to squeeze through it and will jump it. Do this 2-3 times a week for a month and he should be confident enough for you to jump him over it under saddle. Then you should be able to start him jumping other stuff, both on the ground and in the saddle.